On the farm, we have our Oxford Sandy and Black pigs, our lambs, and our beef cows and youngstock. Over the winter, our pigs and lambs have been outside in the fields, but all of the cattle have been housed indoors during most of the season. Over the last few days, the fields and soil have dried out enough for us to be able to let some outdoors. The cattle love it and are much happier to be outside than indoors.
This month Holly has been doing a brilliant job of getting the new card reader up and running in the shop. You can now buy items in the shop, still by self-service, by using a credit or debit card. Just follow the instructions that Holly has made; they are easy to follow.
We are noticing a steady increase in sales of meat from our shop. Most of the time, we are able to supply the shop with our own meat. However, sometimes it is not possible to source all the meat from the farm for various reasons; maybe the pigs are not ready, not big enough or a cow is not quite fit for the abattoir.
As part of our farm’s ethos, we believe in the benefits of slow-growing our animals until they naturally reach maturity. This means that, sometimes, we may need meat for our farm shop before any of our animals are ready. Consequently, instead of sending them off before they are ready, we occasionally rely on trusted farmers to supply us.
Last month, we had a pig from Amelia Millman. She is a young woman who has a small farm based out near Clyst St Lawrence, near Cullompton. She specialises in Oxford Sandy and Blacks and other rare breeds. All her pigs are reared outdoors, including the pig she supplied us with.
Also, this month we are being supplied with two cattle from Dartmoor and Stoke Climsland, respectively. They have both been reared extensively in small herds, only fed pasture, and have been outdoors all their lives. I have visited both the farms and know the farmers very well. They are both members of the Pasture for Life Association.
We hope you enjoy the meat from these animals. A lot of thought, care and work has gone into rearing them.
Our fresh meat week is March 11th -17th, and our plastic-free farmers market is on March 13th.
Thank you to all our customers for using West Town Farm shop.
Andy Bragg